Tottenham and Manchester City made quadruple substitutions this weekend while Fulham were also grateful for the increased options that are available to managers this season.
Here, the PA news agency looks at how teams used their expanded resources in the latest round of matches, with bosses now able to make up to five changes per game.
All change
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte summoned Matt Doherty, Davinson Sanchez, Ryan Sessegnon and Yves Bissouma at once in a bid to change the game in Saturday’s north London derby against Arsenal, before Oliver Skipp followed four minutes later.
It was not the Italian’s first quadruple change of the season, having made a similar move in contrasting circumstances while 4-1 up against Southampton.
That example was far more of a kind with Pep Guardiola sending on Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez, Cole Palmer and Aymeric Laporte moments after Manchester City went 6-1 up over rivals United on Sunday.
Guardiola had also used Sergio Gomez in the first half and there were more early changes at Fulham, who had to replace star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic and full-backs Layvin Kurzawa and Kevin Mbabu before the break as they went down 4-1 to Newcastle.
Cottagers boss Marco Silva, utilising the new rules, was also able to make another change in the second half, while counterpart Eddie Howe – with his side leading 4-0 inside an hour – could give a rest to a number of players as he used all five permitted substitutions after the interval.
Tinkerman Thomas
Brentford manager Thomas Frank has come closest of any manager to using his full allocation of substitutes this season, 38 of a possible 40 in their first eight games.
Frank made five changes against Leicester, Manchester United, Everton, Crystal Palace, Leeds and Bournemouth and four against Fulham and Arsenal, making the most of the options at his disposal.
Leeds and Chelsea have also made at least four changes in every game while Arsenal, Palace, Liverpool, Southampton, Man City and Newcastle all average four changes per match or more.
Leicester, though, have only twice taken advantage of the new regulations with four substitutions in the 5-2 defeat to Brighton and Monday’s much-needed 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Everton are the only other team averaging under three changes, largely as a result of their 1-1 draw with Leeds when they were unique this season in not making a single substitution.
Leaving it late
Nearly a third of substitutions so far this season have come after the 80-minute mark in games, including almost seven per cent in the 90th minute and injury time.
Of 588 changes made in 77 games so far – around 7.6 per game, so an increase on the six previously allowed – 183, or 31.1 per cent, have taken place from the 80th minute onwards.
That includes 16 each by Newcastle and Arsenal and 14 of Fulham’s 30, despite Saturday’s first-half flurry, with the Cottagers making a league-high six from 90 minutes onwards.
Around 18.5 per cent of changes have come before the hour mark, with Manchester United (12), Liverpool (11) and Southampton (10) in double figures for that timeframe.
